Wen Gao, a Master of Social Work student at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, has been named a Heartland Journalism Fellow.
Now in its third year, the Heartland Journalism Fellowship recognizes two writers annually: one WashU student, graduate or undergraduate, whose work focuses on local or regional issues, and one local minority writer.
Established by WashU and the River City Journalism Fund, the fellowship supports aspiring minority and underrepresented writers. During the yearlong program, Gao will work with WashU faculty and staff of The Common Reader, the university’s journal of essays and ideas, to produce stories that explore issues of race, ethnicity and equity.
Originally from China, Gao is the first recipient of the fellowship whose first language is not English. Her writing examines the intersections of race, migration, identity, and social policy through both academic research and personal narrative.
Readers can explore Gao’s personal essays here.